WolvinMaine
Well-Known Member
Hello all,
I decided to try a comparison of various British yeast strains. I love bitters, and am on the quest for that perfect yeast strain, at least for me. I decided to do an experiment where I took my favorite English strain thus far, WY 1318, and compared side by side with some other strains. I brewed a single batch of beer, split it into 5 different vessels, and fermented each with WY 1318, WLP 007, WLP 013, WLP 023, and WLP 028 in identical conditions. I have used WLP 002 in other beers, and while I liked it, I did not enjoy it as much as WY1318, so that is why it was not part of this. I just had a chance to taste them this weekend, and thought I would share my impressions.
For flat out "English" character, and the yeast strain I think will make the best bitter of them all, I would go with WY 1318. Its ester profile is completely different then the others, more cherry/berry flavors then apple/honey. More malty, it did not express as much bitterness as the others. It is an incredible top cropper, so a good choice if you want to do open fermentation and harvest yeast that way. It also drops like a stone, and leaves a clear beer very quickly.
I thought WLP 007, which had a much more subdued ester profile, was probably the most versatile of the strains. I can see why this is a popular house yeast for guys like Stone. It is "English" enough to be used in a bitter, albeit a less flavorful one. It does have an apple nose and taste, but much more subdued. However it expressed both bitterness and malt well. I think it would do a good job in American styles, and seems to drop very quickly as well, leaving a nice clear beer.
WLP028 was really pretty clean, lots of maltiness highlighted, but the bitterness was there, not as subdued as in the WY1318. I think this would be a good strain for people looking to do a maltier "lager" style at ale temps like a bock, or looking for other relatively clean ale strains. I will play with this guy more. However, it was cloudy even several weeks out, so seems to hang in suspension longer.
WLP023 smells and tastes like cider and spice, and I did not care for it at all. Too sweet, all I could thing of was drinking mulled cider. WLP013 has a very musty/earthy smell, not fruity at all, but was the most crisp on the tongue and expressed the most bitterness. I did not care for it, but I can see it being the most hop friendly of the 5. Both of these were very clear as well.
If you want more details, you can find them posted on my blog below. I think I will stick with WY1318 for bitters, but will probably play around with 007 and 028 more for other styles. Any other strains you guys would recommend trying for that perfect bitter? Also, I would be very curious what sort of experience folks have had with WLP 028 and 007, as both seemed worth further investigation.
I decided to try a comparison of various British yeast strains. I love bitters, and am on the quest for that perfect yeast strain, at least for me. I decided to do an experiment where I took my favorite English strain thus far, WY 1318, and compared side by side with some other strains. I brewed a single batch of beer, split it into 5 different vessels, and fermented each with WY 1318, WLP 007, WLP 013, WLP 023, and WLP 028 in identical conditions. I have used WLP 002 in other beers, and while I liked it, I did not enjoy it as much as WY1318, so that is why it was not part of this. I just had a chance to taste them this weekend, and thought I would share my impressions.
For flat out "English" character, and the yeast strain I think will make the best bitter of them all, I would go with WY 1318. Its ester profile is completely different then the others, more cherry/berry flavors then apple/honey. More malty, it did not express as much bitterness as the others. It is an incredible top cropper, so a good choice if you want to do open fermentation and harvest yeast that way. It also drops like a stone, and leaves a clear beer very quickly.
I thought WLP 007, which had a much more subdued ester profile, was probably the most versatile of the strains. I can see why this is a popular house yeast for guys like Stone. It is "English" enough to be used in a bitter, albeit a less flavorful one. It does have an apple nose and taste, but much more subdued. However it expressed both bitterness and malt well. I think it would do a good job in American styles, and seems to drop very quickly as well, leaving a nice clear beer.
WLP028 was really pretty clean, lots of maltiness highlighted, but the bitterness was there, not as subdued as in the WY1318. I think this would be a good strain for people looking to do a maltier "lager" style at ale temps like a bock, or looking for other relatively clean ale strains. I will play with this guy more. However, it was cloudy even several weeks out, so seems to hang in suspension longer.
WLP023 smells and tastes like cider and spice, and I did not care for it at all. Too sweet, all I could thing of was drinking mulled cider. WLP013 has a very musty/earthy smell, not fruity at all, but was the most crisp on the tongue and expressed the most bitterness. I did not care for it, but I can see it being the most hop friendly of the 5. Both of these were very clear as well.
If you want more details, you can find them posted on my blog below. I think I will stick with WY1318 for bitters, but will probably play around with 007 and 028 more for other styles. Any other strains you guys would recommend trying for that perfect bitter? Also, I would be very curious what sort of experience folks have had with WLP 028 and 007, as both seemed worth further investigation.
